Japan's ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) secured more than a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives following Sunday's general election, public broadcaster NHK reported early Monday.

The ruling bloc secured 352 seats, surpassing the two-thirds majority necessary to enact a bill approved by the lower house but rejected by the House of Councillors, or the upper house, NHK reported.

The LDP, which had 198 seats before the election, gained control of two-thirds of the 465-member lower house on its own after winning a total of 316 seats.

The outcome does not appear too favorable for the JIP as a junior partner, which added two seats to its pre-election strength of 34 seats in the lower house. The JIP's influence over the coalition is expected to decline due to the LDP controlling a majority even on its own, NHK said.

Japan's main opposition party, the Centrist Reform Alliance formed in January by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Komeito party, saw its seat count drastically reduced to 49 from the pre-election tally of 172, NHK reported.

Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito hinted at resigning as the alliance's co-leaders, both saying in a joint NHK interview that they have already made up their minds to take responsibility for the heavy losses.

The Sanseito party, a populist group which had two seats before the election, won 15 seats, while the Democratic Party for the People won 28, compared to its pre-election seat count of 27.

A total of 1,284 candidates ran for the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, which consist of 289 in single-seat constituencies and 176 through proportional representation in 11 regional blocks across Japan.

Sunday's vote marked Japan's first lower house election held in February since 1990, a decision by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that has drawn criticism, as heavy snowfall across much of the country made campaigning difficult.

The election victory has drawn global attention

Election victory for Japan's prime minister could threaten stability of region, Sky News reported on Sunday, saying that "Sanae Takaichi has landed a mandate, a landslide so decisive that just a few months ago it would barely have been believed. And it could well change Japan and this region."

The Economist also published an article titled "How Japan's prime minister will use her massive new mandate," saying that the victory also signifies the LDP's return to unquestionable dominance in Japanese politics.

In a message posted on his Truth Social network, U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Japan's prime minister after her electoral victory.

The Takaichi fallout: Mounting domestic strains and foreign policy risks

The Japanese yen continues to experience significant depreciation in early 2026, trading near 157.10 against the U.S. dollar as of Sunday.

Facing the continued inflation, Takaichi talks up the advantages of weakened yen.

"People say the weak yen is bad right now, but for export industries, it's a major opportunity," Takaichi said on Saturday.

Her speech, however, led to domestic backlash as Japanese citizens experience severe budget strains due to rising living cost. Food cost soared, energy bills escalated, and people's "real wage" diminished as a result.

In an X post on Sunday, she said "I did not say which is better or worse, a strong yen or a weak yen."

Data recently released by the Japanese government shows that in 2025, the price of rice-related goods in the country surged by 67.5 percent, marking the highest increase since comparable records began in 1971.

A survey on inflation published on Japanese media shows that, as of late September 2025, 81.6 percent felt "significant pressure" and 17.7 percent felt "some pressure," totaling 99.3 percent, among those who believed that rising prices were "putting pressure on household living expenses.”

According to a survey by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Engel's coefficient, which measures the ratio of household spending on food, has hit a 44-year high due to rising food prices.

Ahead of the snap election that took place on Sunday, Takaichi has pledged to suspend the 8 percent consumption tax on food and non-alcoholic beverages for two years to combat rising living costs, calling it her “earnest wish” on a news conference on January 9.

However, the unfunded tax break has raised worries both domestically and in the international community. Her proposed tax cut contributed to a sell-off in the Japanese bond market, with long-term yields hitting record highs in January 2026 due to concerns over fiscal sustainability.

The proposed tax cut also raised international worries that while the tax cut can cause sustained damage to government revenues, according to Bloomberg.

Notably, Takaichi also went silent on the tax relief later into her campaign, which the Japanese media says marks "a stark reversal from" her previous speech.

(With input from agencies)